When You're Around
by Bizarre Dreamer
Summary: Lily's friend Moira is more than a little untouchable. She's had propositions from nearly every guy at Hogwarts, but manages to elude them all. Of course, Sirius never could resist a challenge. Tittle credit to Motion City Soundtrack.
1. Chapter 1

A/N - So, this is my first ever HP fic. I hope you all like it!

Disclaimer - I own nothing publically recognizable in this story!

Moira grinned as her owl swooped into her open window, carrying a small package and letter. She quickly untied the letter and package, "Thanks Helga. I'll even get you a treat, though it's not like you really need it," Moira muttered, quickly giving the slightly chubby barn owl a couple of owl treats before turning to the parcels she had set on her bed.

She tilted her head to the right, her birthday wasn't until Halloween, it was almost time for school, so there wasn't another holiday…Well, she thought, best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She shrugged and opened the letter first.

_Dear Moira, _

_So, I saw this and thought of you. I know you love muggle pens and stationary! I hope you like them! _

_We'll be in Diagon Alley tomorrow, at about 10:30. Would it be ok if I stayed with you for the next couple days before school? My parents are going to visit my grandparents, so I'd be alone here. If it's ok, I'll finish packing tonight, and bring everything with me tomorrow! _

_Miss you, and hope your summers been well! _

_Lily_

_P.S. What have you been feeding Helga? She's gotten so chubby!_

Moira grinned, she adored Lily, even if they were really different in some ways. She eagerly ripped open the package, careful not to hurt anything inside in her haste. Inside was lovely stationary, some of it with different colored swirls and the other one with dragonflies. She grinned more broadly as she found two packages with muggle pens of all different colors of ink in the bottom of the package.

Remembering Lily's note, she quickly made her way downstairs to find her parents. Conveniently, they were both sitting in the parlor, reading and sipping tea. "Mom, Dad, can Lily stay with us until the start of school? She would be coming home with us tomorrow from Diagon Alley."

The two of them blinked at each other and her dad nodded. Her mom smiled warmly at her, "Of course dear, Lily is a wonderful girl. In fact, if you'd like, we can let you go by yourself tomorrow. We already withdrew more than enough from Gringotts for both the school year and for your shopping tomorrow."

"Thanks! I'll go send Helga back to her and let her know. Love you!" Moira didn't see her parents shaking their heads at her as she bounded up the steps and back to her room.

Using her new swirly paper and a bright purple pen, she scrawled a note to Lily.

_Lily,_

_Mum and Dad said it was ok! And thanks for the package, I love them! See you tomorrow. I'll meet you inside the Leaky Cauldron!_

_Moira,_

_P.S. I think I may be giving her too many owl treats. _

Moira attached the note to Helga's leg and let her out the window. She looked around her room, realizing that she still had quite a bit of packing to do before she would be ready for school.

Moira looked around the Leaky Cauldron, not noticing anyone she actually knew. She'd only been waiting for about 5 minutes, knowing that it sometimes took Lily longer to arrive since she had to come the muggle way. Just as she was debating getting a butterbeer, Lily walked in the door.

Moira grinned and hurried over to her, "Lily! It's been too long!"

Lily laughed as she was engulfed in a hug, "Moira, it's been two weeks since you saw me!"

"My point exactly. That was two weeks too long." Moira grinned as she let go of Lily, "Shall we go see what kind of trouble we can get in in Diagon alley? Maybe we can find some poor first years to annoy!"

Lily groaned, "Not this again! Moira, you do this every year since second year! As a Prefect, letting you scare the first years looks bad! Besides, it's mean!"

Moira grinned, "Lils, you aren't the prefect of Diagon Alley, and we aren't at Hogwarts yet! That said, tormenting the first years must be done. It's tradition. Which reminds me, I need to find someone to start training to take over my duties since I only have two years left…" Moira trailed off, looking thoughtful.

Lily shook her head, "There is no way it is going to take you 2 years to train someone for that!"

"Maybe not, but I should start scouting them at least! A third year would do nicely…so I should start looking at this year's second years." Moira smiled coyly as she pulled Lily into Diagon Alley after tapping the right brick.

"Yeah, you'd be lucky if they don't remember what you did to them!" Lily said. They both paused right inside the alley. "It never ceases to amaze me…"

Moira laughed, "Yeah, I know. It still amazes me sometimes…All the people and the different things…It's crazy. Alright, where to first?"

"Gringotts. I only have muggle money right now." Lily grumbled.

They began making their way to the goblin run bank. "Ok, so, after here, I think we should go to Malkin's. Then get some ice cream. Maybe after that we can go look at brooms? My old one died last month… Keeps swerving to the left."

Lily chuckled, "You've had it for awhile now…and you aren't very easy on it really. Though keepers never really are. Ok, after that, we should go get potions supplies, and go to Flourish and Blott's. And the owl apothecary! Mum gave me enough money to get one!"

"Way cool! So, that's the plan then. Let's get a move on." Moira glared at a second year sporting Slytherin robes as they swerved around him.

Gringotts was uneventful. They did change their plans around, going to get ice cream before heading anywhere else. There was little incident, only a bit of smearing ice cream on each other's noses. From there they headed to Flourish and Blott's and then to pick up a new broom for Moira. Potions supplies took only a few minutes, and then they were off to Malkin's to get new robes.

It was while Madam Malkin was getting their measurements (both at the same time) that things started to go wrong.

"Seriously Padfoot, is it necessary to try and go through the entire female population of Hogwarts?" Lily paled, quickly identifying James Potter's voice. She turned wide eyes to Moira who grimaced.

"Prongs, you wound me! I don't date girls younger than fourth years, and I don't do teachers." Moira gagged glaring in the direction of the sound of the voices.

Just then the boys became visible, clearly noticing them right away. "Evans! What a surprise! I was hoping to run into you!"

Lily glared at him and huffed, "And I've been hoping to avoid you!"

Sirius tried to cover a grin, "Give it up Prongs. 'Sides, plenty of other girls out there."

"Real rich, coming from you. You've made your way through most of the girls at school!" Moira said, looking down at him from the small stool she stood on.

"At least I'm not a prude!" Sirius glared at Moira.

Madam Malkin gave them all dirty looks as Moira replied, "I am not a prude, you're just a slut!"

Madam Malkin let out an exasperated sigh, "Really, is this kind of language necessary in my shop?"

The girls continued to glare at the boys, who grinned and wandered off a bit. They managed to get out of the shop without further incident. But it didn't last long. They were accosted yet again in the Apothecary where Lily was looking at owls and Moira was harassing a frightened first year.

Moira snickered mentally, "I knew a boy once who tried to jump onto a stairway as it was moving. He's still in St. Mungo's. He hit his head so hard that they barely saved his life. Though, to this day, he still thinks he's a dog."

The first year stared at her in horror before running off to find a parent. Lily just shook her head, "You know, you really don't have to tell them such things!"

Moira just grinned and went off to hunt her next victim. Lily sighed, blinking at all of the different owls. She might prefer a cat, but an owl would mean she could send her parents letters, so an owl it was. She was currently admiring a barn owl that could very nearly be Helga's twin. Lily grinned at the bird, it seemed to like her well enough at least.

She jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to look into the grinning face of Potter.

Moira pushed a lock of her black hair out of her grey eyes before turning to her next victim. This one was a girl. She grinned and waved at her before going over. "Snowy owls were always my favorite, but my Helga is a barn."

The girl looked at her with wide eyes, "If you like snowy owls, how come you have a barn?"

"My first year, when I came here to get a pet, Helga was fluttering around in here. The woman running the shop that day couldn't get her to calm down. She flew straight at me! She landed on my shoulder, and we've been friends ever since. I'm Moira, what's your name?" Moira grinned down at the girl. She might just grow to like this kid.

The girl grinned at her, "Cool! My name is Jesse Corrin. What year are you? What's Hogwarts like?"

"I'm a sixth year this year. Hogwarts is great! There's a lot of really cool stuff there. The great hall has a ceiling that shows what the weather is like, and there are all kinds of secret passages ways and stuff. Though, just make sure you never go into the Forbidden Forest alone, alright?" Moira smiled lightly at the girl.

"Potter, what the hell do you want now?" Lily glared at him vehemently, picking up the cage of the owl she had picked out and making her way to the counter.

"Now now Evans, no need to be rude! Actually, I'm waiting for Sirius to stop harassing that first year…" James pointed at a first year boy with shaggy hair and blue eyes.

"Moira's been harassing them too. I think she went to the other side of the store to harass a small girl…" Lily shook her head as she paid for the owl.

Sirius stared down at the boy, "What do you mean that's so cool? I just told you I've seen ghosts at the Shrieking Shack and you think it's great! You're ruining my plan! You're supposed to be terrified!"

The boy blinked at him, "Oh, I am? Sorry…"

Sirius stared at him dejectedly, "Alright…What's your name?"

"Julian Drain. What's yours?"

"It's Sirius. Alright, so, I've decided I like you…So, I'll start passing on some of my wonderful knowledge to you once we get to Hogwarts…as long as you don't end up in Slytherin." Sirius smiled softly at the look of wonderment on the boys face.

"Really? Awesome! What house are you in Siri?" Julian grinned up at him, pushing a piece of hair out of his eyes.

Sirius winced, "Let's…refrain from calling me that…and, I'm a Gryffindor."

Lily smiled down at the owl, "I shall name you Helter! You and Helga will get on great!"

James raised an eyebrow, "Helter? And who's Helga? Isn't it a little on the fat side for an owl?"

Lily glared at him, "Stop being mean to Helter! Helga is Moira's owl. She's chubbier than Helter is…"

Jesse, who looked like a younger version of Moira with green eyes, looked up at her, "Why not?"

"Well, one, it's forbidden, and two, it's dangerous. There've been rumors about all kinds of things being in there that can eat you. Vampires is the latest one…" Moira stared down at the girl. She reminded her of herself her first year.

"Ok Moira! I won't. Though I've always wanted to meet a vampire…as long as it didn't eat me."  
Jesse smiled, then turned to look at the owls again.

Moira smiled brightly. Yep, definitely reminded her of herself. "You're alright kid. I'll see you around!"

Jesse waved vigorously to her as she went off to find Lily.

Moira and Sirius were both making their way to Lily and James from separate sides, and didn't notice each other. Lily and James both wince and Sirius bumped into Moira hard enough to send both of them tumbling.

It took less than ten seconds for Moira to react, "Black! I swear that if you don't get off my right now I will set you on fire!"

Sirius, who had been about to apologize, quickly realized who it was. "Oh, it's just you Nightshade. I was going to apologize, but I'm sure it would be lost on you."

Moira groaned, "Just get the bloody hell off of me you fat ass!"

Sirius glared as he got off of her, "I take offense to that, my ass is not fat."

Lily pulled Moira up, "Ok! It's time to go. We've got everything we need, and your parents will want us back at your place soon."

Moira glared at Sirius as she was pulled away and Lily sighed. With the two of them going at it like that, it was going to be a very long year.

A/N - Alrighty, let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

A quick thanks to DarkLightX1122 who reminded me that it was Emporium rather than Apothecary! Also, a thanks to Lady Liviu who has helped me beta most of this story so far and is my Muse. And to The Weatherwitch for being my first reviewer! And to everyone who has favorited or alerted to this! Love you guys!

Disclaimer - I own nothing publically recognizable in this story!

* * *

Moira and Lily spent the next two days frantically packing and spending all the time goofing off they could. Lily had been amazed at how scattered Moira's things had been. "How the hell do you do it? The house isn't that big!"

Moira shrugged, "I still think something's moving my stuff around when I'm not paying attention…"

Lily snorted, "Sure, because it couldn't be possible that you might actually have done it yourself!"

Moira grinned, "Nah, though, I wouldn't put it past my evil twin."

"You're simply impossible, you know that?" Lily grunted exasperatedly.

"Only on days that end in Y…" Moira enjoyed thoroughly exasperating Lily the entire time she stayed there. She had tried to get her best friend to understand the need for torturing first years, but it had, of course, been to no avail. Moira had eventually let it go, deciding that as long as she wasn't getting in trouble for it, there was no reason for it to matter.

Arriving at the train station was a chaotic event, as it was every year. There were students and parents scattered around the platform, and more than a few confused and nervous first years.

Moira, of course, was more than excited about the prospect of scaring at least one more first year before they made it to Hogwarts. Only one thing put a damper on her morning; the fact that Lily would have to reside in the prefects' compartment. She resolved not to let it get her down though. The two girls said quick goodbyes to Moira's parents, and then headed off to find one of their best friends, Mauve. Upon finding said friend, Moira tackled her, the two of them landing nearly on top of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little Nightshade. Did you miss me?" Sirius grinned down at her where she was lying on the platform by Mauve.

"Only in your dreams, idiot," Moira sneered up at him.

"Not quite little girl, not quite." Before Moira could strangle him, he dashed off, headed in the direction of James Potter.

A lightly blushing Mauve was being helped up by Remus, who stared after Black with and odd look on his face. "I think he only does that to annoy the hell out of you…Normally, he'd be trying to flirt."

"Yeah, sure. Just like, if he keeps it up, I'll hex him so bad that he's going to wish he'd been a little nicer." Remus offered to help Moira up, but quickly withdrew his hand when she gave him a hard look and clambered to her feet by herself.

Lily shook her head, "If you didn't take the bait, maybe he would back off."

Moira snorted, "Never mind that! Did you hear what that arrogant arse called me?"

Mauve grinned at her, "I think he secretly has a crush on you. Isn't that what some boys do? Tease you to hide their feelings or something?"

Lily and Moira exchanged a look before bursting into laughter. Remus shook his head before heading off to join his friends. What was he supposed to do, tell Mauve that she was right? Sirius would kill him. Never mind that Sirius had never actually admitted to having feelings for the girl.

Sirius turned to find the person that had the nerve to keep calling him Siri. Upon realizing who it was, he glared mildly at him. "Julian, we talked about this. Don't call me Siri."

Julian grinned up at him, "Sure, whatever you say."

Sirius shook his head, "Guys, this is Julian; he's the first year I was telling you about."

Peter stared at the small boy, "What on earth is he doing over here though?"

Sirius and Julian gave the mousy boy the same exact glare, which of course, sent James into a fit of chuckles. "He's going to be my prodigy. Someone will have to keep the school in disarray when we leave."

James grinned, "Cool, we've needed to train someone for awhile now."

Remus shook his head, "Looks like Moira had the same thought." All of the boys turned to see what he was talking about.

Moira grinned down at Jesse, who had just managed to find her, "Hey girly, what are you doing?"

"I came to find you! Can I sit with you on the train?" Jesse looked at her with such a cute face that she couldn't say no.

"Sure. Guys, this is Jesse, Jesse, that's Mauve and Lily." Moira pointed to each girl as she mentioned them. The girls nodded and greeted her.

Lily then realized that it was, indeed, time to get on the train. "Girls, we need to board. Don't want to get left behind…"

The girls made their way onto the train, hefting their luggage up and into the last empty compartment. Of course, they had not taken into account that the boys had been behind them.

Sirius groaned, "There aren't any other compartments with room! We're going to be forced to sit with HER!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing! The girls aren't that bad!" James said frowning at Sirius's reaction.

Julian blinked at Sirius, "What's wrong with the girls? And who is 'her'?"

"'Her' is the bane of my existence, Moira Nightshade. That's what's wrong with the girls." Sirius sighed exaggeratedly before pushing open the compartment door. The girls were now lounging, and it appeared that Lily was already in the prefects' compartment with Remus and the other prefects.

"Oh no! Potter, the squirt, and even Pettigrew are allowed in, but you, Black, have pissed me off for the last time today!" Moira glared at the offending sixth year.

"Right Nightshade, because I want to be stuck with you for the entire train ride! Like I don't have better things to be doing!" Sirius glared right back, moving into the compartment, and pushing roughly past Moira.

James looked apologetic, "Sorry O'Rory, Nightshade, and…first year?"

Jesse grinned brightly up at him, "Jesse Corrin! Moira is going to teach me how to scare first years!"

Sirius snorted, "Sure, like she can scare anything."

Julian laughed, while Jesse glared at him, "Don't you talk about Moira that way! You jerk!"

"Now now Jesse, that is not how you talk to Black! Call him a prick instead." Moira patted the younger girl on the top of her head as she sat down next to Mauve who looked at her in shock.

"Moira! Don't use such foul language in front of the children! Really now, that is simply uncalled for!" Sirius stared at her in mock horror.

James snickered from where he sat on the other side of Mauve. Sirius sat next to Julian who sat next to Jesse who was seated across from Moira. Mauve elbowed James lightly, shaking her head.

Moira just looked at him, the picture of calm. "Don't worry Black, I won't say anything you wouldn't. Kind of leaves me wide open, doesn't it?"

Julian and Jesse looked back and forth between the two of them. Sirius grinned, "Nah, there are some words even I won't say. Just remember that when you go running your mouth around my protégé."

"Yeah, I'll do that. I feel bad for you kid, I think I'd kill him if I had to spend too much time with him!" Moira looked at the poor child with pity.

Julian frowned at her, "My name isn't 'kid' you know. It's Julian. And, I like Siri just fine!"

Sirius slapped his hand across his forehead as Moira burst into laughter, "This, Julian, is why I've told you several times to stop calling me that!"

Even James and Mauve seemed to think the nickname was funny. When Moira could stop laughing a little, she grinned at him slyly, "So, Siri, how'd you manage not to scare the kid away? I heard that you're almost as good at scaring the kids as I am."

Great, Sirius groaned, this was all he needed. Not only was he stuck in such close confines with the girl he had liked for at least a year now, but his protégé was giving the girl more ammo to get at him with. Not like it was bad enough that she could already climb under his skin easily. Worse than that was the ever blatant realization that said girl was never going to like him back.

He sighed internally. Maybe that was his fault. Instead of attempting to tell her he liked her, he had pushed her away more vehemently than ever. He realized now that that had been a huge mistake. He started when he noticed a small hand waving in front of his face.

Moira mentally frowned. Never before had the nuisance spaced out on her while she was arguing with him. It was most unusual. He seemed to come back to it a bit when Julian waved his hand in front of Black's face, but he still looked spaced out. Well, shit, there went her secret favorite past time! How was she supposed to have any fun if he wasn't even paying attention to her? She sighed and got out a book to read.

Of course, her reading a book didn't last long. Apparently Sirius decided that switching seats with Jesse so that he was seated across from her. She looked over the top of her book (which happened to be a book of Tarot) to see him reading the back of it.

Sirius read the back of the book. He could feel his eyes widen as he realized what the book was about. He briefly wondered if she were any good at doing readings. Then he grinned up at her, "So, I always wondered why you took Divination. This why?"

Moira glared at him, "I happen to like Divination."

Mauve grinned, "She's taking Divination because she comes from a long line of seers."

"Really? That is so cool Moira!" Jesse grinned broadly at her mentor.

Moira frowned, "Not really…it's just life. I can't change it, so I figured it couldn't hurt to be decent at it at least."

"Aren't you top of the Divination class?" James asked curiously.

"No, a Hufflepuff named Christa is." Moira shook her head, "I slack off too much to be head in any of my classes. I leave that to Lily. Anyways, Potter, when are you holding tryouts this year?"

James grinned at her, "Next month I think. Unless you think that might be too late. I don't want the Slytherins to get a head start on us."

Sirius interjected, "They started a month in last year, maybe we should do it in two weeks?"

Julian blinked, "What are you talking about?"

Moira grinned, "Quidditch, Squirt."

"Really Moira? You didn't tell me you played!" Jesse exclaimed clapping a little.

"She's not a bad keeper, if you can ignore her less appealing qualities…" Sirius smirked at her.

"Sure, and Siri isn't too bad a beater, except you always want to stitch his mouth shut." Moira smirked right back as Sirius gave her an indignant look.

The rest of the train ride went in a similar manner. They were just about to reach Hogwarts, and Sirius and Moira were giving the two first years some tips.

"Don't lean over the side of the boat on the way across the lake, at least one first year falls in every year. Not to mention the giant squid." Sirius told Julian.

"Try not to be nervous of the sorting hat, it's harmless really. Unless it tries to put you in Slytherin. Then you complain like hell before it calls out your house." Moira said to Jesse.

Jesse's eyes went wide, "Will you still like me if I get into Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw? And, I really don't want to be a Slytherin!"

Moira hugged the girl close for a moment, "Don't worry. I'm nearly positive you'll be a Gryffindor." The girl grinned up at her briefly before the train came to a shuddering halt.

The two first years parted ways with the sixth years, staying rather close together. Moira and Mauve waited for Lily while the boys went off to find Remus. When Lily got there they all got into a carriage and (luckily) made it to the castle without incident.

* * *

A/N - I hope this chapter didn't disappoint anyone! Also, a lot of people alerted or favorited but didn't review. I really appriciate the reviews; they give me the motivation to keep writing. So, please, review! Thanks guys!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N - This one is a little shorter than the others...Because I'm supposed to be sleeping...and had the perfect place to end it...Enjoy!

* * *

Moira stared at the first years that had just come into the Great Hall. She briefly spotted Jesse amongst them. Sirius sat across the table from her with James and Remus, while Mauve and Lily sat beside her. The sorting hat, like every year, sang its song. The first years watched it in a mixture of fear and excitement.

Mauve blinked at it, "I think the Sorting Hat has too much time on its hands. I think the songs get longer every year."

Moira cocked her head to the side, "Really? I was almost certain that it was shorter this year."

Sirius snorted, "Yeah, well, we all know that the thing spends the entire year making up its songs."

"You know, I think our first years seemed the longest…but maybe it was nerves," Lily said, trying to avoid a fight before term had actually started.

The sorting started as the song ended and the hall was quiet as Acker, Cora was sorted into Hufflepuff. The Hufflepuffs cheered as the first year made her way to their table. The next two first years were sorted into Ravenclaw. Bryan, Ken was the first to be sorted into Slytherin. When Jesse's name was called, Moira held her breath, then gave a sigh of relief when the hat yelled, "Gryffindor!"

Moira grinned at Jesse as the girl practically skipped to the table and plopped next to her. "Congratulations! You've officially made it into the best house at Hogwarts!"

While Moira was welcoming Jesse to their house, Julian got sorted into Gryffindor as well. The rest of the sorting ceremony went by in a blur, like it often did. The headmaster made the usual welcome speech, as well as the usual warnings, before giving them the all clear to start eating.

Moira watched in vague disgust as the boys piled their plates high and started shoving huge forkfuls into their mouths. "You do realize that food is meant to be eaten and not inhaled, yes?"

Mauve elbowed her lightly, "Don't say anything funny, at the rate their going, they would choke to death!"

"One could hope," Moira muttered.

"Moira! Just because Black and Potter are complete menaces, don't wish the others to death! Besides, death is a bit extreme." Lily watched them with the same sick fascination that the other girls were watching the boys with.

"Alright, that's it! I know you ate on the train! Slow down! I don't want to run the risk of getting puked on!" When Moira's words had no effect, she kicked Sirius under the table.

"Oi! What was that for, woman?" Sirius yelped, rubbing his sore shin, "Evil little girl!"

Moira grinned at him, munching thoughtfully on a roll, "I was worried. I was afraid that you would gain too much weight to be a decent beater!"

James chocked on a bite of something indistinguishable and Remus patted him on the back roughly. Pettigrew looked lost, and Julian appeared to be slightly offended on his idol's behalf.

Sirius, oddly enough, appeared un-phased. "Don't worry Nightshade, I have a high metabolism. I'm not sure you're eating enough though…I think you're starting to look a little too much like a skeleton."

When Moira only replied with a devious smile, Sirius knew he was in trouble. What truly scared him was that she was quiet through the rest of dinner, only murmuring every so often to the girls. So by the time dinner was over and the whole of Gryffindor house was headed to their common room, Sirius was truly starting to worry.

While Sirius was worrying, Moira was plotting. She knew that the boys were usually the last ones to bed, and she knew that most often, Sirius stayed down in the common room at least 5 minutes after the others went to bed. With this in mind, Moira kept an eye on the rest of the common room, completing the final touches to her plan. She was tucked neatly away in a corner, waiting for everyone else to turn in for the night.

When everyone else was finally in the dorms, Moira stalked closer to an unsuspecting Sirius. "You know," Moira started, thoroughly amused by the slight jump from Sirius as he half turned on the couch to look at her, "just because you're actually quite attractive, it doesn't mean you have to be a prat. It is quite acceptable to be pretty and nice you know."

"Pretty Nightshade? Really? I can certainly agree to attractive, but pretty seems like an insult. Gorgeous maybe, but hardly pretty." Sirius watched her carefully, waiting for her to attack in some form. He knew it would be coming.

Moira sat down next to him on the couch, turning so she was facing him. She leaned closer, slowly, so as not to alert Sirius to the ever looming trap. "Well, you might not think you're pretty," she paused slightly, taking the time to study him. He actually was quite pretty, if only he'd keep his mouth closed. She leaned a bit closer, mere inches from him, "But I do."

When Sirius didn't move back, just continued to stare at her with widened eyes and slightly parted lips, Moira moved forward even more, zoning in on his neck. She faintly heard his sharp intake of breath as she licked the skin there gently. When that didn't provide the reaction she was looking for, she set her teeth lightly into the soft skin before biting down harshly. Moira knew Sirius had thrown his head back, and knew that in that moment, she had won. Well, she had won this particular round anyways.

Moira grinned in satisfaction as she pulled back and saw the reddening mark that would surely be a very nice hickey by the morning. She skipped happily up the stairs to her dorm, and prepared for bed. Revenge was certainly one of her favorite pastimes.

* * *

Sirius stared after her in confusion. What the hell had just happened? He might have been prepared for many things in the way of revenge, but what had just occurred certainly took the cake. He rubbed his neck lightly. The girl definitely knew how to get a guy's attention. He frowned, his current state of confusion surrounding said girl made his earlier confusion seem silly.

Sirius dropped his face into his hands. She would be the death of him and at this point, he simply wasn't sure how he was going to survive her. Maybe a talk with Prongs was in order in the morning.

* * *

Lily and Mauve watched as Moira flitted around, getting ready to go down to breakfast. They exchanged uncertain looks. Neither had a clue what had happened the night before, but whatever it was had certainly put their friend in a good mood. Usually, Moira was more than willing to bite someone's head off first thing in the morning, but this morning the sixth year had been downright pleasant.

"Ok, I'm ready!" Moira said, turning to her two best friends. She frowned, why on earth were they staring at her like that? "Why are the two of you staring at me like I grew another head?"

The two of them shared a glance before Mauve replied, "Well, it's just…we aren't used to seeing you this chipper first thing in the morning."

Moira grinned, shook her head, and said, "You'll see!" before she left their dorms.

* * *

Sirius glared into the mirror at the mark that now rested on his neck. James, apparently, thought it was hilarious. "Ok, so, you're telling me, that Moira of all people gave you a hickey?"

Sirius sighed, "That is exactly what I'm trying to tell you. I'm positive that she was using that as my revenge…"

James glanced around their empty dorm, Remus and Peter having already left for breakfast. "So, given your infatuation with one Moira Nightshade, you are now confused beyond words, even if she did do it for revenge?"

"How am I meant to know what's going through her pretty little head if she keeps doing things like that?" Sirius groaned, raking a hand through his hair.

James patted him on the back lightly, "I don't know mate, but unless you try going after her, you're never going to know if there could be a chance that she might actually like you back." Sirius nodded, maybe all the girl needed was a push in the right direction.

* * *

Moira grinned gleefully as Sirius and James made their way into the hall. She was slightly disappointed that she wouldn't get to gloat right away, seeing that Sirius was currently trying to woo a fifth year girl into going out with him. She perked up, though, when she could use the advantage of him having a hickey to get further revenge on him.

She grinned devilishly as she got up from her spot and practically flounced over to Sirius and the fifth year. She placed a hurt look on her face as she approached them. "Siri, darling, what on earth are you doing with her? Did last night mean nothing to you?"

* * *

Sirius stared at Moira in shock. He briefly wondered if she had some form of amnesia, before catching the mischievous look in her eyes. Great, apparently she wasn't quite finished with her revenge. This was clearly not working out how he had hoped. Originally his plan had been to try and get her jealous…a plan which seemed to be blowing up in his face.

The fifth year he'd been talking to, whose name he thought was Lisa, glared at Moira, "Please, everyone knows the two of you are constantly at each other's throats. Whatever it is you're trying to do won't work."

Moira merely grinned at her, "Didn't you wonder where that delightful little hickey came from? That was me, darling."

The fifth year turned to him as if waiting for him to deny it. He merely groaned and got up, quickly grabbing Moira's wrist and dragging her back to where their friends sat farther down the table.

* * *

Moira snickered, as she was dragged away from a now murderous looking fifth year. "I don't think she likes me too much, do you?"

Sirius snorted as he sat down next to James, pulling her down to sit next to him. "After that little stunt, Nightshade, I would damn well wager not."

Lily stared at her friend, "Please tell me you didn't do anything that could get you seriously hexed or injured before the first week of term is over."

Moira tried to look innocent, "I haven't the faintest idea what you could possibly be talking about."

Sirius snorted, "Sure you don't."

"Now now Siri, I was merely saving you from yet another pointless relationship that would have been doomed from the start anyhow." Moira's words were still coming out in a tone that screamed faked innocence.

* * *

Sirius winced at the nickname, "I'm flattered you care. You are aware, that thanks to your little stunt, the whole school will have heard by lunch time about that, aren't you?"

Sirius grinned at the look that spread across her face. It read all to clearly that no, she had not thought about that one little detail. It looked like he had until lunch time to come up with a plot of his own.

* * *

A/N- Well, I hope you guyes liked it. A shout out to Lady Livia, who continues to help me beta and help me when I get stuck! Reviews equal love!

Lady Livia - XD Their antics never cease to amuse me!

Puddle Jumper 9282 - I'm glad you like it!

Lucrecia Selene Dresden - Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - So, I appoligize in advance for this being a bit shorter than normal... . I promise to make the next one longer!

* * *

Sirius groaned. His classes were going much too fast for him to come up with a proper plan. The only thing he could think to do was encourage the rumors. Transfigurations had already past, and double Potions was his last class before lunch, and even that was almost over.

He wondered briefly if this hair brained plan would actually work. It was doubtful, but, he had to try. Lesser men (as well as some better men, though he would never admit it) had tried to capture Moira, and every last one of them had failed.

He glanced to the table next to them and the object of his current thoughts. She sat there quietly writing her notes next to Mauve. She seemed to feel his gaze on her, because she turned to look at him, raise an eyebrow, and then turn back to her work.

"Mauve, is it me, or is Black staring at me, again?" Moira asked her friend and trying not to turn to see for herself.

Mauve glanced, then said, "Yeah, he is. What's with him today? Does this, perhaps, have anything to do with this morning?"

Moira let her head fall to the desk. "Pretty sure it does."

Mauve stared at her, "Is it true you gave him a hick last night after everyone else went to bed?" When her friend's only response was a groan, she gasped. "You really did it, didn't you? Are you daft! What on earth were you thinking?"

"It seemed like a wonderful revenge at the time. I was sadly mistaken. I'm quite sure that he's planning to make this whole little…disaster….work for him somehow. I just don't understand why he has a sudden interest in watching me! It's damned unnerving is what it is." Moira glared over her shoulder at Sirius, who merely grinned at her.

By the time lunch rolled around, everyone, had indeed, heard that he and Moira were supposedly an item. It was just as he predicted. He hadn't denied that they were together. He had actually gone so far as to encourage the rumors.

Now, he thought, all he had to do was sit back and watch the fireworks. And knowing Moira, there would, indeed, be fireworks. He watched gleefully as said girl stomped across the great hall to sit across from him. She was angry, or, perhaps, rage filled would be a better description. He winced slightly, hoping he wouldn't have to lose one of his more favored body parts to this little scheme.

Moira was seething. She was so angry that she could barely see straight, let alone do anything else. She glared ruefully at Black across the table. He would pay for this, dearly. "I understand that you have been encouraging this little…charade."

She watched him wince in satisfaction, "Only a little…"

"Are you aware that Professor Dumbledore believes we are truly dating?" Moira glared harder at the boy.

Sirius gulped loudly. This was it. She was going to castrate him. He was absolutely sure of it. Honestly, he had no idea that their 'news' would get to the headmaster. He certainly hadn't expected him to say anything to Moira about it! "Um, no?"

Moira calmly began making a sandwich out of the cold cuts and rolls on the table. "I see."

Sirius blinked at her. This had to be a trap, really it did. "You see?" When his only response was an affirmative he stood up and slammed his hands on the table. "What the bloody hell do you mean you see?"

"I said what I meant and meant what I said," Moira said before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

Moira cheered internally. She really hadn't been trying to piss him off, but it was so terribly easy. She continued munching on her sandwich as their friends stared at them.

Sirius sat down, taking what appeared to be a deep breath, "Alright Moira. What did you tell Dumbledore?"

Moira merely grinned, ate the last bite of her sandwich, and walked away. It would do him good to stew a bit longer, she decided. If he could make it through the rest of the day without completely losing it, she would tell him at dinner.

Sirius stared after her in disbelief. He glared at his food, pushing the plate away. Whatever the girl was up to, it couldn't be good. He knew she would tell him eventually, but, when eventually would be was severely uncertain. Apparently her new favorite pastime was trying to break him. Well, at least he hadn't had to give up any body parts…yet.

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. James had tried to convince him that whatever she was planning couldn't possibly be that bad. The trouble was they both knew that Moira was much too much like Sirius not to have something worth holding over him.

Moira grinned at Sirius as they sat down to dinner. He appeared to be holding it together, though just barely. He kept giving her calculating looks and half angry half curious glances. "Do you really want to know what I told Dumbledore, Black?"

He nodded hesitantly, seemingly trying to prepare himself for whatever she could throw at him. "Nothing. He didn't give me the chance."

Sirius stared at her blankly for several moments in which everyone was wondering if they would need to take him to St. Mungo's. Finally he seemed to snap out of it a bit. "You're telling me, you waited half the day to tell me that there was nothing to tell me?" his voice progressively got louder towards the end.

Moira shrugged, "Pretty much."

James tried talking him down, "Padfoot, you knew she'd pull something like this."

Sirius shrugged him off, "Nightshade, you have ten seconds to start running."

Moira blinked at him in shock, "What?"

"Ten, nine…." Sirius was standing up and moving towards the end of the table.

"You can't be serious!" Moira stared as he continued to count. "Bloody hell!" She groaned, grabbing a roll and dashing off and out of the hall.

Sirius grinned, she made it too easy. He quickly took chase, following her down one corridor and then another, up staircases and even through a secret passage or two. She was good, he'd give her that. Of course, he was better. He finally cornered her in the room of requirement.

"You know, if you would have been running from anyone else, you just might have made it."Sirius said, shutting the door to the room firmly behind him and grinning cockily.

Moira glared, backing up slightly. The room hadn't deemed them worthy of much space, as they were currently standing in a room hardly bigger than a broom closet. "If it would have been anyone else, I would not have been running in the first place."

Sirius grinned at her, "Yes well, I believe it might just be time for some much awaited payback." He moved towards her, quickly backing her closer to the nearest wall. She stumbled slightly, and he grabbed her shoulders, only to push her up against the wall.

"I know you get off on invading my personal space, but is this really necessary?" Moira grumbled, trying to wiggle free of him.

Sirius only grinned, moving closer and pressing the length of his body against hers. "But of course it is lovely. Just remember, you were the one who started all this."

Moira groaned. It was nearly hard to breathe with him pressing so close against her. She grumbled mentally about teenage hormones and silly pretty boys that should recognize personal space. She was so caught up in her inner turmoil that she didn't notice the grin on his face, didn't notice that he was leaning in. She certainly noticed his hot breath on her neck and the gentle kiss he laid there. She tried desperately to hold in any sounds as he bit down on the skin gently.

When the arse had said payback she had hardly thought that he would mean this. It hadn't occurred to her that he might use her own revenge on her. She couldn't stop a soft groan as he sucked and bit just hard enough on the skin that he would be sure there would be a mark.

She felt him pull away, and managed what she hoped was a convincing smirk at his grin of satisfaction. "Well, little Nightshade, let's just see you try and explain your way out of this one tomorrow."

"You, Black, are the bane of my existence!" Moira told him, pushing him away roughly and cursing herself for not doing so sooner.

He merely grinned at her, holding his hands up slightly and backing away, "I'll see you in the tower, Nightshade!" And just like that, the prick was gone.

She groaned, letting her head fall back against the wall, then wincing in slight pain. She waited several minutes before leaving, giving her time to collect herself and to avoid Black. When she finally managed to get back to the common room, she grabbed Lily and Mauve and began tugging them up the stairs to their dormitory.

Once inside with the door shut, she pulled aside her hair and pointed to her neck, "Do you see what that prick did to me?"

Both girls gathered around her to get a good look. Mauve tilted her head, "He does good work, but the one you did on him was better."

Lily shook her head, "So he caught up to you and decided that a little payback was in order, did he?"

Moira collapsed onto her bed, "Yeah. He did. You know what the worst part is? I didn't even think to push him away until he was being all smug about it. What does that say?"

Mauve held up a finger, "It says that you might actually have feelings for him, or else you need a boyfriend, badly."

"Moira? Like Sirius Black? I mean, I know he has a thing for her, but really?" Lily said.

Moira groaned, rolling over so her face was buried in her blankets for a moment before rolling on her side. "You're right, I'm developing feelings for the git! How the bloody hell did this happen?"

* * *

A/N - Well, there you have it! Reviews make my day loads brighter...so...review...and...I'll update!

love-cdc - . Lol, Thank you! I don't want to give anything away, so I shan't tell you...though, I'm not really sure myself. I have a basic plot...but, beyond that...I make it up as I go. :3

angel2 - Jesse and Julian will both be a big part of this story...I hope. I have plans for them... Big, evil, plotting plans ^^ Except, Sirius ran away with my plot, and is currently reshaping it to his will. I'll find something good to do with them though.

The Weatherwitch - XD

Lady Livia - Everything is more attractive when he does it, it just can't be helped!

DarkLightX1122 - Thank you! XD

mockingjay - Thank you! I'm glad you like it! ^.^


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – Hey guys! I'm really sorry it's taken me so long to post a new chapter. Life has been hectic and all that jazz. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

The next week and a half was spent falling into a steady routine. Moira went to her classes and meals, did her best to avoid Sirius Black, and started training Jesse as her protégé after dinner. She helped the girl with her homework, taught her useful jinxes, hexes, and defensive spells, and taught her where all of the secret passageways were that she knew of.

It was after dinner on a Friday when Julian caught up to Jesse and yanked her inside of an empty classroom. Sirius had been giving much the same treatment to Julian that Moira was giving to Jesse. "We have to do something about the two of them!"Julian groaned.

Jesse frowned, "You mean Sirius has been as bad as Moira has?"

Julian nodded, "Worse I think. He's been mumbling to himself a lot lately. He keeps saying things about how much he's sure Moira hates him. It's horrid, really. He's moping around like a lost puppy. Even Remus and James have been trying to get him out of this daze…"

"Wow, Moira seems to be going through something similar. She refuses to go anywhere near him, and if one of her friends says anything about him, she goes red and finds something else to do. It's kind of sad really. It's obvious that they like each other." Jesse said thoughtfully.

The two of them were silent for a moment before Julian spoke again, "We have to find a way to get them together. Maybe we could use some of the things that they've taught us to do it."

Jesse grinned, "Ok, so this is what we do…"

Moira had strayed to the library after a short session with Jesse. The younger girl had asked her about a transfiguration spell that was quite complex, and Moira, though she knew the spell, was not sure how to explain it to the girl. Moira, of course, did not know that Julian had asked Sirius the same question, forcing the same reaction from Sirius.

Moira sighed as she looked for the title of the book she needed, glancing around her hopelessly. She spotted the book in the hands of another student, and groaned. Of course, it couldn't be easy. "Black, I need that book you're holding for ten minutes."

"What for?" Black asked her, eyes narrowed.

"Because Jesse is being silly and asking about complex spells that I know but don't know how to explain properly to a first year. Now give me the damned book!" Moira huffed glaring at Black.

Sirius narrowed his eyes, "Let me guess, bat into a cat?"

Moira groaned loudly, "Don't tell me; Julian asked you about the same damned spell not fifteen minutes ago."

Sirius nodded his head roughly. "It appears that our protégés have been paying a little too much attention to us. I wouldn't be surprised if this was some sort of half baked elaborate set up."

Moira flopped down into a chair, "Great, that means I don't need the damned book. Oh just wait until I get my hands on them again! No doubt they'll spend the next couple of days hiding."

Black laughed, "Don't worry, Nightshade, if they have your hiding skills they shouldn't be too hard to find. Besides, it ought to give us plenty of time to plot our revenge." Personally, if Sirius had known they were going to try and pull off something like this, he might have asked to be let in on it so that it might have actually worked. As it was, he'd spent time alternating between being positive Moira hated him and trying to figure out a way to patch things up between them. Of course, patching up a relationship that had been rocky and really no relationship at all was easier said than done. Maybe if he could coerce her into working with him on plotting revenge against their apprentices they might learn to get on more, and maybe she would stop hating him.

"Does this mean we've been teaching them a little too well? Maybe we should have waited to teach them about plotting until we were in our seventh year. Also, just for the record, my hiding skills aren't that bad. I wasn't given the proper amount of time needed to hide from you. You should have counted to twenty instead." Moira said, glaring mildly at him.

"I'll remember that next time. We'll certainly have to be more careful of what we do teach to them, though. We can't have them plotting against us like this. It simply doesn't look good. If Snape gets a hold of this we'll never live it down!" Sirius made a face at the thought. While they were no longer actively seeking out fights with the boy, there was still the odd encounter that did not bode well for either side.

Moira snorted, "Snape is the least of our worries with the two terrors running around and plotting. I really thought I'd taught Jesse better than this. They weren't nearly sneaky enough. Also, they clearly didn't put enough thought into this. Did they really think it would be that easy to plot against master plotters?" Actually, Moira was loathe to admit, if their plot had been to get her to talk to Black again, it had actually succeeded fairly well so far. It would only be a matter of time, though, before he opened his pretty mouth and said something utterly ridiculous and horrid and sent her running off again.

Sirius watched her thoughtful expression for a moment before answering her. He knew, on the one hand, that if he actually mentioned that they were, indeed, talking, which was likely what the plan had been meant to do in the first place, she would surely run off. "I suppose we'll just have to double our efforts in training them. Though, perhaps you were right. It might be better to hold off until next year before we teach them proper plotting techniques."

Moira groaned, "If we didn't need someone to take up harassing the school once we were gone…meh. I suppose we'll just have to deal with it. In the mean time, what are we meant to do in the way of revenge?"

"I'm not sure yet, but it will have to be something good. Maybe we should wait for a few days. We've got Qudditch tryouts to attend in a couple of days, and we shouldn't let our plans interfere with that."

"What's the matter Black, no good at multi-tasking?" Moira couldn't help the retort; it was out of her mouth before she had even realized it. She sighed, "Never mind that, are we simply supposed to let them think they are getting away with this?"

Sirius pointedly ignored her remark about multi-tasking and thought over her question. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. It's the perfect trap. We can do our best to get along for a few days and let them think they're plan worked; meanwhile we form our own plot. Just when they think everything is perfect, we launch our revenge. It will give us time to plot, and give them a false sense of security at the same time. As a bonus, we get to screw with everyone's heads." It was rather ingenious, if he did say so himself.

Moira tilted her head and studied him closely for several moments before nodding. "I suppose we could do worse for a plan. Though, our actual revenge is going to have to be something absolutely amazing…I wonder if we could get baby pictures from their parents?"

Sirius waved a hand, "We'll worry about that later. We're both good at revenge. I'm more worried about who we're going to get stuck with on the Quidditch team this year. Some of the people that have been talking about trying out for the team are less than impressive. The three of us are the only ones left from last year's team. We had three seventh years and a sixth year that isn't coming back for their seventh year. "

Moira groaned, "I'd almost forgotten about that. We're down two chasers, a beater, and a seeker! We are beyond doomed. I heard Alexa Jacobs is going to try out, which may be our only break. She's a good flyer, and she seems to do team work well."

Sirius nodded, replacing the book that had caused them so much trouble. "Alexa is promising, as long as she really is trying out." He glanced at a clock above the shelves, "We should get back to the common room."

Moira glanced at the clock as well, then nodded and stood up. "Are we actually going to be able to pull this off without killing each other?"

Sirius blinked at her as they headed out of the library, "I think so. We managed to talk for almost an hour with only two insults…at least; I think it was just the two. Either way, I'm sure we can make it work." He shrugged mildly, flicking dark hair out of his eyes.

"I love your faith in us, but aren't they going to know we're up to something if we don't insult one another from time to time?" Moira asked with a raised brow.

"Maybe…How about we try to keep it to a minimal…and just not seem too cheerful about any of it."

Moira snorted, "No problem." The two of them continued on to the common room, and elicited many stares as they entered the room together, talking quietly.

Julian and Jesse both looked up as their mentors entered the common room. Julian stared at them in mild fascination, "Do you think it actually worked? They don't look like they are trying to kill each other."

Jesse stared blatantly, "I don't believe it. Are they actually talking?"

"It looks like it…Normally, when they argue, it's a lot louder. Just in case though, maybe we should steer clear for a few days. Knowing them, it won't be long before they come after us for this…" Julian groaned. He knew the two of them would most likely be in trouble for this.

"It'll be worth it as long as it worked," Jesse said, grinning at her partner in crime.

Meanwhile, Sirius and Moira's friends were contemplating the two of them with a mix of curiosity and disbelief. "Alright, that's it. We need an intervention and possibly admittance to St. Mungo's for both of them." James said, watching as the two sat down at a table in a corner of the room and continued to talk mildly.

Mauve shook her head, "Never mind the intervention…Just send them straight to St. Mungo's. Obviously they have brain damage of some sort."

Remus grinned, "This could be a blessing in disguise. Now, if only James and Lily would quite arguing too…"

Lily grunted, "Not likely. Maybe the two of them are up to something? It would make sense."

James snorted, "I'm not sure they could work together. I'm betting on a façade, though I can't imagine what for. Two sickles say they don't make it through tomorrow without arguing."

Remus grinned, "My two sickles say they make it till after Quidditch tryouts."

Mauve and Lily shared a disgusted look, as Lily muttered darkly, "Boys."

Moira sighed heavily as she chanced a glance around the common room. "Maybe we're raising too much attention from this. Our friends look like they're going to floo us to St. Mungo's any second."

Sirius scoffed, "We'd be the same if Lily and James suddenly got along. I can't blame them. I think we can tough it out though. They're probably taking bets on how long it will take us to crack."

"Maybe the boys are, but Lily and Mauve are more likely to be planning an intervention," Moira said, groaning again. It was likely going to take some getting used to on all sides of the fence, if this little deal with her own personal devil didn't kill her first.

**A/N – So, I appreciate all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts. I'm sorry I haven't responded to reviews this last time, like I said, life has been crazy. I'll do my best to reply to new reviews! I would also really appreciate feedback on how you think the story is flowing, and all that jazz! xxxx**


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